After the Holidays Recipe for the Breastfeeding Mother!

I hope you had a nice Christmas and New Year with your little ones. I sure hope all the festivities didn’t affect your milk supply. Breastfeeding Support Group Volunteers and Lactation Consultants know this period very well and link it with nursing strikes (when the baby suddenly refuses to breastfeed or cries at the breast) and with the “Oh no! I don’t have any milk” syndrome (when the mother suddenly notices her milk production is down).

These problems occur following a more than usual busy or stressful period where most of the time is spent traveling, cleaning, cooking and doing errands. The mother often feels obligated to leave her baby with a friend or relative to go through the list of all the things she has to do and to attend parties. Even when the mother and baby are kept together, the breastfeeds are less frequent for a few days. Even the mother’s meals and rest take second place and are often forgotten. Put all these elements together and you have winning conditions for a nursing strike or a low milk supply.

If this is happening to you or a close friend or relative, here is a wonderfully simple recipe to increase your milk production and get your baby back at the breast:

Ingredients

1 baby (or 2 if you have twins, but you might also need to double the last ingredient)

1 mother

1 bed

1 pillow

1 helpful and supportive partner or friend

Instructions

Make sure the bed has a firm mattress (never put a baby on a water bed).

Keep away alcohol, illegal substances or prescription medication that can put the mother in an abnormally deep sleep.

Place the pillow on one side of the bed, away from the baby.

Take away all blankets and other pillows.

Put the baby on his back in the middle of the bed.

Place the mother on her side facing the baby, so her bottom arm is around him and she can bring him close to her.

Have the mother relax, sing, talk, murmur or just smile at the baby.

Turn the baby towards the breast whenever the baby is hungry (he will turn instinctively) and let him breastfeed without any limit of time.

Let the mother sleep when the baby sleeps, or read a good book or magazine (her arm should be around him so she will feel him move and make sure he does not migrate to the other side of the bed and fall).

If the baby cries and breastfeeding does not soothe him, the partner/friend can pick him up and walk him around for a little bit. Bring the calmed baby back to the mother right away.

If a diaper change is needed, ask the partner/friend to do it or make sure everything is by the mother’s side so she can do it with the minimum of effort.

The mother should be in bed with the baby, but walking about for a few minutes around the house or outside every couple of hours is necessary.

After 24 to 48 hours, the milk production should be good!!!!

NB. This recipe can be used even if the mother does not have anyone to help her – she only needs to stay in bed, relax and get up only if necessary!

Responses

There are many cold medicine you can take while breastfeeding but you need to know exactly what you would like to take so I can give the information found in the reference books on this subject. But, if you want some good info, go at:http://breastfeedchicago.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/breastfeeding-and-the-common-cold/
The article on the subject is complete and it gives you a link to a more scientific site when it covers cold medications while breastfeeding.